![[RSS]](images/syndicated-feed-icon.gif){kind=icon}
RSS/XMLSamsung S3 MP3 Player - Tunes for tindys
2008-12-03 18:35:54
At the end of last season, my 3G iPod photo was officially relieved of its duties of providing me with tunes while I ride. Although it still works (most of the time), after surviving several winters where it was frozen, dropped in the snow, and just generally abused, I found that I was spending more time trouble shooting it than enjoying the music it was sending to my ears. The iPod was awarded a generous severance package and the search was on to hire a replacement for that vacated position in the workforce. The hiring criteria was:
- Must hold enough music for at least one full day of riding non-stop.
- Must be resistant to the cold.
- Must be resistant to shock.
- Must work with my Linux computer.
- Must not break the bank.
The Setup
Since I'm a big nerd who refuses to pay the Bill Gates tax, one of my biggest concerns was that the MP3 player would work well with my Linux operating system and my favorite music player (Amarok). After all, what good is an MP3 player if you can't put any music on it. Following a quick Google search, I discovered how to get Amarok to detect and interact with the S3, however, the full functionality of the MP3 player is not supported. The S3 allows video playback as well as audio playback but I haven't figured out how to get videos to and from the device. Although in truth, I don't really have a need for the video feature when I'm snowboarding.
It may be small, but it's got it where it counts.
The only other problem I encountered was that I could not create playlists and copy them to the MP3 player. It was possible to create them using the device itself, however, this procedure is clumsy and time consuming. A work around to this problem is to organize the MP3 files of your playlist as a compilation album (don't forget to make copies first). You can then find the playlist under the MP3 player's "albums" list. I called my list "Tunes for Tindys" because I like aliteration.
For those with less nerdy tendencies, the S3 comes with Samsung's proprietary software to load files onto the device. The software requires Microsoft Windows to work, however, so I couldn't test it out. I assume that it provides access to the full capabilities of the device.
The S3 can be recharged by plugging it into the USB port of your computer. This could be a bit of a pain because it generally requires the computer to be on in order to recharge the device. This is a huge waste of energy unless you happen to be using the computer at the time (i.e. to load new music onto your MP3 player). I haven't yet tried, but I suspect I could use my iPod's AC adapter as a power source for the S3's USB cable thereby eliminating the need for a computer to recharge it.
Using the S3
The S3 is pretty straight forward to use. The buttons work like a touch screen (although the device does not actually have a touch screen). In total there are five buttons plus the power/hold slider. Although the documentation does not recommend it, I found that the interface does in fact work when you are wearing gloves. However, due to the small size of the device, it could be difficult to figure out exactly what button you're pressing (good luck if you're wearing mittens). A few times while riding at Cascades this weekend I managed to adjust the volume of my music without removing my thin park gloves. This is a huge plus since I generally just wear park gloves with over-mitts in the winter. This way I can play around with my MP3 player while only removing the over-mitt. Although navigating to find songs was a bit difficult due to the absence of Apple's patented click-wheel, the device does not hold so many songs as to make it impossible to find anything.
Earth, Wind, and Snow
Because it's a solid state drive (i.e. no moving parts), there should be no possible way that your music will skip, no matter how rough the terrain is. It also seems to be pretty robust to shock: I fell in the park a couple times, at least once right on the MP3 player with no discern-able damage although I would not recommend falling on any electronic device.
Because it's still early in the season and the temperatures are a bit mild, I haven't really had a chance to put the S3 through its paces in really cold weather. This is often the Achilles heal of may MP3 players as cold temperatures often affect battery life. Samsung claims the S3 battery should last up to 25 hours for music playback, so hopefully it can last at least 8 in the cold.
I used the Samsung S3 while riding the entire weekend on only about 2 hours charge time (plus some intermittent charging while loading up new tunes). After two solid days of riding, the battery was reportedly still half full. It never skipped once, and once I got used to the differences from my iPod, I found it quite easy to use. It also comes equipped with some additional features such as an FM tuner which I only tried long enough to determine that it worked. I don't see myself using this device for anything else than playing back MP3s, however, because when I'm snowboarding I want less talk and more rock. In the end, I find that the Samsung S3 fulfills all my requirements for an MP3 player to use while snowboarding so I've extended it a $79.99 CDN offer to join the team. It's currently on a 31 day probationary period.
No Comments: